It’s the 25th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. We’re celebrating with a look back on this moment in evangelization. Join this webinar presented by Sister Maureen Sullivan, OP and explore these questions:

Why did the bishops publish a new Catechism?

What do we truly know about the Catechism?

How do we incorporate this religious education tool into our catechesis?

Is it realistic to believe that an encounter with the Catechism can lead to an encounter with the living Christ?

This webinar is offered at multiple times. Choose the time that works best for you.

October 23, 2017

Although there had been many attempts at translating the Bible into the several Germanic dialects since the 4th century, before the advent of printing it was difficult to make these manuscripts widely available. Thus the primary Bible translation was the Latin Vulgate done by St. Jerome a thousand years before. The problem was that only the highly-educated knew Latin.

Luther, a university professor, was one of the most learned scripture scholars of his time and as such he was aware of the new discoveries of the Greek New Testament manuscripts that pre-dated the Latin translation of Jerome. Like scripture scholars today, comparing the Greek and Latin versions, Luther realized that the Latin did not always accurately translate the Greek. So he decided to produce a new translation.

But his real stroke of genius was that he would translate the Bible into German and, thanks to the printing press, he could make it available to all the people. His translation, finished in 1534, became an instant sensation. It was a clear, forceful translation that made the unintelligible Latin come alive in the mouths of preachers and catechists. Moreover, as the King James Bible did for the English language, Luther’s Bible helped to create a literary style and vocabulary that contributed greatly to the High German that a remains today as the common standard for the German language.

Steve Mueller is the author of the five books in The Reading the Bible Series, which is published by Faith Alive Books.

October 16, 2017

In 2017, we recall the beginning 500 years ago of the Protestant Christian Reformation triggered by the posting of 95 theses for theological debate at the University of Wurzburg by the Augustinian Scripture professor Fr. Martin Luther. But their publication soon ignited the widespread desire for reform of the many abuses that characterized the Church at that time.

Martin Luther is held in high esteem today for his great theological insight and teaching, and not only by Lutherans. His teachings are based on scripture and still form the basis for Lutheran doctrine. That Luther has had lasting influence on Western culture was recognized in a millennial survey in Life magazine that named Luther as the third most important person of the past 1,000 years, after Thomas Edison and Christopher Columbus.

But most important for us as catechists, we should recognize and learn from the example of Martin Luther as a master catechist, who combined a deep knowledge and love of Scripture with a practical zeal to communicate the gospel message to both children and adults in their own language and in a way that they could understand its application to their everyday lives. We can explore these two dimensions of Luther’s catechetical craft by noting his skill as a Bible translator and as the creator of a basic catechism.

Steve Mueller is the author of the five books in The Reading the Bible Series, which is published by Faith Alive Books.

October 09, 2017

October 31, 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Christian Reformation that began in Germany when Augustinian scripture professor Fr. Martin Luther posted his theological theses for debate. Much of what was protested then has now been modified or fixed. But for us catechists, it might be a time to appreciate the contribution of Martin Luther to scripture scholarship and to catechesis. So in the next 3 weeks, we will explore the contribution of Martin Luther: Master Catechist, in particular considering his work as Bible translator and also as author of his Small Catechism for teaching the basics of the Christian faith.

Steve Mueller is the author of the five books in The Reading the Bible Series, which is published by Faith Alive Books.

September 07, 2017

Liturgical catechesis recognizes the profound relationship between liturgy and catechesis. This relationship is essential to preparing children for active participation in the celebrations of the Sacraments of Penance and Reconciliation and the Eucharist.

Children have a natural capacity for wonder and awe. They are open to the greatness of God and eager to learn. Developmentally, children experience a profound sense of identity in and through ritual prayer. Their Catholic Identity is shaped and nurtured through ritual activities that appeal to their senses.

Within the context of the liturgical year, assembly, song, symbol, Scripture, gesture, and even silence nurture the sacramental imagination of children and offer them deeper insight into the world.

It is important to understand that liturgical catechesis is one aspect of catechesis, rather than an alternative method of catechesis. The purpose of liturgical catechesis is threefold:

It is catechesis toward the liturgy.

It is catechesis in and through the liturgy.

It offers the opportunity for reflection on the liturgical experience.

In Sadlier’s Believe • Celebrate • Live, Reconciliation and Eucharist program, we aim to prepare children to celebrate the sacraments as baptized members of the Body of Christ. The text fosters beliefs that will reveal the mystery of Jesus Christ and the Church and lead to active participation in the liturgy. It promotes service to others in ways that can influence children and families in the lifelong process of learning to see God’s presence and action in the world.

March 20, 2017

In this new book, Families at the Center of Faith Formation, John Roberto outlines eight strategies for developing faith formation that brings to life the Families-at-the-Center Approach.

Discovering God in everyday life

Forming faith at home through the life cycle

Forming faith through milestones

Celebrating seasonal events through the year

Encounter God in the Bible through the year

Connecting families intergenerationally

Developing a strong family life

Empowering parents and grandparents

As catechetical leaders begin planning for 2017 - 2018, now is a great time to gather together members of the parish staff, faith formation committee, and catechists to explore ways the parish can place "Families at the Center of Faith Formation."

February 20, 2017

The Gospels are not abstract theological treatises or collections of moral guidelines. Rather, they are narratives that proclaim the Good News of our salvation by recounting the story of Jesus of Nazareth, whose life, death and resurrection are the foundation of our Christian way of relating to God. They are also our chief resources for learning who Jesus was and what his mission was. [For a more detailed consideration of this see my book Who Do You Say I Am? The Catechist’s Guide to Jesus in the Gospels (Faith Alive Books, 2015)].

Moreover, although the Gospels are often represented as documents that we might use to invite others to become followers of Jesus—to evangelize as we say today—a careful reading reveals that the Gospels would be very hard to understand without some familiarity with Jesus’ story and his expectations for his followers. In other words, the Gospels were not written to convert outsiders but as catechetical documents to deepen the faith of those who have already committed themselves to Jesus and his community by adopting his vision of the world, his values for living in it, and the vocation to continue his mission of bringing the Good News to others.

So What's the Good News? The Catechist's Guide to Reading the Gospels by Steve Mueller. p 2.

October 15, 2015

I would say that an intentional disciple is a person — child, teen, young adult, adult, or oldster — who has heard the call of the Gospel, is seeking to make a real difference in the world, and therefore lives a particular way. What does that way look like? Well, down through the ages persons, families, and entire Christian communities have done the same or similar things that show they are truly growing in faith.

October 08, 2015

As the year came to an end, many catechists and Catholic school teachers dialogued about the current changes in the U.S. Church landscape. One of the most interesting conversations happened around the topic of the priority of systematic formation for catechists. Some commented on the "importance of living our faith," to which others added the priority of knowing the faith and the art of sharing it with our children and youth in our religious education programs and in Catholic schools.

Peter Ductram is the Archdiocesan Director of Catechesis, Archdiocese of Miami. He was born in Lima, Peru. Earned a MA in Theology in from Catholic Theological Union and is a Candidate for a MDiv. in Bible. He served in the Archdiocese of Chicago as Coordinator of Hispanic Ministry, Director of Religious Education, Adjunct faculty at the University of Mundelein, and Coordinator of Evangelization Initiatives. Proactive bilingual leader with experience in faith formation and enrichment in multicultural environments.

January 08, 2015

Frederick was not a catechist. He was a field mouse in a chatty family of field mice. But he was a special field mouse because he was called to a special task. While the other members of his family worked day and night to gather corn and nuts and wheat and straw for the long cold winter, Frederick gathered sun rays, colors and words. Somehow he knew that these were going to be important, and they were. When the corn and nuts and wheat were gone, Frederick, through his words, was able to bring the warming rays of the sun and the beautiful colors of the blue periwinkles and red poppies to help his family survive the winter. Frederick, the poet, knew from the beginning what he was doing.

What Is a Catechist?

Before we can begin to talk about working smarter, you need to ask yourself what it is that you are expected to do as a catechist. Like Frederick, you need to know from the outset what your role is. The term catechist has a long history in the Church, but it is not a word that is often used in everyday conversation. When you were being recruited by your parish or school to be a catechist, you, no doubt, understood it to mean a religion teacher. You were right. To be a catechist is to be a teacher, but a teacher with a special task.

The term catechist comes from a Greek word meaning "to echo." The Church has the responsibility of handing on the faith, of echoing the Word of God, to its own generation and to succeeding generations. This is the catechetical ministry. In the early church if one assumed this task, he or she was called a catechist, a person responsible for echoing the message of Jesus to the community. Today, as in the past, people actively involved in the formal ministry of handing on the faith are called catechists. By choosing to become involved in your parish or school's religious education (catechetical) program, you became a catechist in this long tradition. You assumed the responsibility of handing on the Catholic

From Working Smarter, Not Harder: A Catechist's Survival Guide by Tom and Rita Walters. c) 2011

May 14, 2014

When Jorge Mario Bergoglio entered the Society of Jesus at the age of 21, he dreamed of serving as a missionary in Japan. As it turned out, health worries kept him home in Argentina. Though he eventually became the archbishop of Buenos Aires, the commitment to mission never left him.

At the conclave where he was elected pope last year, Cardinal Bergoglio delivered brief remarks outlining his vision for the Church. Evangelization, he proclaimed, is the Church's reason for being. But to realize this purpose, the Church must "come out of herself" and "go to the peripheries, not only in the geographic sense but also the existential peripheries." His remarks struck an enthusiastic chord with the assembled cardinals, contributing to his election as pope.

Since then, as Pope Francis, he has captured the hearts of many others, both within and beyond the Church, through his humility, his embrace of poverty and his evident love for all humanity. In all this, he has fulfilled the promise implied in his choice of name. It was St. Francis of Assisi, after all, who renewed and reformed the Church of his time by recalling the memory of Jesus in his poverty and compassion for the sick and marginalized.

But behind all the pope's words and gestures there is the deeper challenge he poses to all of us who constitute the Church: to recover our true purpose as a "community of missionary disciples," a phrase borrowed from the final statement of the Aparecida document, which Cardinal Bergoglio drafted for the Latin American bishops in 2007.

October 24, 2013

A little after 3 p.m. on a Thursday, children in grades three through eight begin dashing through the doorway of an old red brick convent behind St. Mary’s Church in Waltham, Mass., having finished their days at nearby public schools. Lugging backpacks and wearing shorts and T-shirts, they have arrived for religious education — although you wouldn’t know it, just by looking at them during the next couple of hours.

The first stop is the lunchroom, where the kids help themselves to hot bagel sandwiches and juice. Then they separate out into six classrooms upstairs for an hour of homework with help from parish volunteers. After that comes an hour of recreation: soccer and other pursuits on St. Mary’s sprawling front lawn, on a summer-like day in October. Not until the third hour will the children take part in what most would recognize as a spiritual activity — a celebration of the Eucharist in the building’s six-pew chapel.

For St. Mary’s pastor, Father Michael Nolan, all of it is religious education.

Catechesis is a pillar of faith education and we need good catechists! Thank
you for your service to the Church and in the Church. Even if at times it may
be difficult and require a great deal of work, and although the results are not
always what we hope for, teaching the faith is something beautiful! It is
perhaps the best legacy we can pass on: the faith! To educate in the faith, to
make it grow.

To help children, young people and adults to know and love the
Lord more and more is one of the most exciting aspects of education. It builds
up the Church! To "be" catechists! Not to "work" as catechists: this will not
do. I work as a catechist because I like to teach… But unless you "are" a
catechist, it is no good! You will not be successful … you will not bear
fruit!

Catechesis is a vocation: "being a catechist", this is the vocation,
not working as a catechist. So keep this in mind: I didn't say to do the "work"
of catechists, but to "be" catechists, because this is something that embraces
our whole life. It means leading people to encounter Christ by our words and
our lives, by giving witness.

September 02, 2013

Editor's Note: This is a beautiful recognition of the vocation of the catechist and a tribute to the generosity and contribututions that catechists continue to offer children, youth, adults, and families throughout the world. Let's us give thanks and pray for one another. - Dan Pierson

I am a conference junkie. Because I’ve given talks at various parish, diocesan and national events for the last twelve years, people often ask, “so what do you see, traveling around the country?” It’s probably a skewed perspective, flying in on Friday night, speaking most of Saturday, then returning to the airport Sunday. Sometimes a longer retreat or workshop gives the chance to know people at a deeper level and communicate over a longer period of time. That kind of experience makes it harder to say goodbye, but is the exception, not the rule.

So much travel: what does it teach? Given the breadth of the action in a truly catholic culture—from Asians in Seattle to Cubans in Miami, from Filippinos in Las Vegas to Latinos in Lubbock, any sweeping generalization sounds suspect. With that caveat comes a firmly optimistic read. For the most part, catechetical activity isn’t generating headlines, but it speaks loud and clear of a robust faith community. In the old cliché, reports of the church’s demise, at least in this arena, are exaggerated.

Come along for an imaginative tour of conferences around the country. Most events, whether in Milwaukee or Monterey, tend to be as similar as the Gap stores at the local mall. The folding chairs for a keynote in the elementary or high school gym, the breakouts in classrooms, are sometime upgraded to hotels or convention centers.

August 22, 2013

Editor’s note: On August 21,
2012, the feast of St. Pius X, then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio—now Pope
Francis—published a letter to the catechists of his Archdiocese of Buenos
Aires. This is an exclusive English translation of that letter.

It
has been a custom now for many years that I write you a letter around the feast
of Saint Pius X. In this way I wish to greet you on his day, thank you for your
quiet, faithful work each week, for your ability to be Good Samaritans who offer
hospitality out of faith, by being familiar faces and dear hearts that make it
possible to transform, in some way, the anonymity of the big city.

But
catechesis would be seriously compromised if our experience of faith were to
leave us confined in and anchored to our familiar world or in the structures
and spaces that we have been creating over the years. To believe in the Lord is always to enter anew
through the door of faith that makes us go out, to set out on a journey, to
leave our comfort zone.... We must not
forget that the first Christian initiation that occurred in time and in history
climaxed in mission ... that it took on the characteristics of visitation. With complete clarity the account of Luke
tells us: “Mary arose and went with haste... full of the Spirit.”

It
is good to realize that today, more than ever, the act of believing must allow the joy of the Faith to shine through. As in that joyous encounter of Mary and
Elizabeth, the catechist must imbue his or her entire person and ministry with
the joy of the Faith.

Furthermore,
though, I ask you not to see your field of evangelization as being limited to
those who are to be catechized. You are
privileged to spread the joy and beauty
of the Faith to their families. May
they become an echo in your catechetical pastoral ministry in this Church of
Buenos Aires that wishes to live in a
missionary state. [“Cat-echesis” and
“echo” are related words. – Translator’s note]

While
thanking you from my heart for all that you do as a catechist, for your time
and your dedication, I ask the Lord to give you an open mind, so as to recreate dialogue and encounter among those
whom God entrusts to you, and a
believing heart so as to follow, exclaiming that He is alive and loves us
as no one else does. I have a picture of
Mary Help of Christians that says, “You who believed, help me!” May she help us to follow by being faithful
to the Lord’s call....